Vast majority of Otagos dairy farmers responsible

Federated Farmers is defending the environmental record of Otago’s dairy farmers. Of the region’s 379 dairy farms, only five percent are being prosecuted, a drop in serious non-compliance when compared to last year. Federated Farmers also supported enforcement action being taken against wilful polluters.

“100 percent of the prosecutions are being taken against a mere five percent of Otago’s dairy farmers,” says David Wilson, Federated Farmers Otago dairy chairman.

“The public needs to know that the vast majority of Otago’s 379 dairy farmers take their environmental responsibilities seriously. The fact is 75.5 percent of farms are fully compliant and that is three-quarters of all dairy farmers in the region.

“While 71 farms (18.7 percent) were judged to be in minor non-compliance, up on last year, the word minor is important as minor non-compliance is usually easy to rectify.

“Despite an increase in the number of dairy farms we are seeing a drop in the number of farmers being prosecuted or fined. Last year, there were 25 prosecutions but this year it is 21. Last year, 18 fines were issued but this year it is just four.

“Federated Farmers has been working with the council to correct the poorest performing farmers and it would be nice to acknowledge this as it’s working

“The Federation is concerned at the seemingly low number of reinspections. We would imagine that most of the 45 reinspections would have been to the 18 farms being prosecuted and the four being fined.

“Yet the Federation knows from other regional councils, that most farms deemed to be in minor non-compliance became fully compliant upon reinspection.

“Given farmers pay for these inspections under user-pays, the lack of reinspection is probably understating the true level of full compliance. Councillors need to ask their officers more about this to ensure a more accurate picture emerges next year,” Mr Wilson added.

The Federation believes council monitoring disclosure and initiatives like Fonterra’s Clean Streams Accord are positive. It means farming is not just New Zealand’s largest and most important industry, it is also among its most transparent.

“The Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) own Study into the use of Prosecutions under the Resource Management Act 1991, shows that urban activities have resulted in many more prosecutions than farming. That’s despite agriculture accounting for 64 percent of every thing New Zealand sells to the rest of the world,” Mr Wilson continued.

“Federated Farmers would like to see councils giving the same level of prominence to urban effects on the environment as they have to farming. This is about bringing balance between urban and rural, because we’re all in this together," Mr Wilson concluded